The grass is greener on the other side. This is an old proverb which has stood the test of time. A novel based on this theme is the Paulo Coelho's The Winner Stand Alone. Paulo Coelho, the master storyteller, has again struck it. The novel was originally published in Portuguese under the title "O Vencedor está Só".

The novel revolved around the five main protagonists-Igor, Ewa, Hamid Hussein, Gabriela and Jasmine. Igor is a ruthless businessman who wants to win back the love of his life, Ewa. Ewa is a strong willed woman who is in love with Hamid Hussein the Avon grade fashion designer. Igor destroys the life of some unknown people so as to send messages to Ewa and ultimately to get her back. There is the story of struggling actor, Gabriela and upcoming model, Jasmine.

The story took place within a period of 28 hours. It started at 3.14 am and ended at 7.55 am. Time wise the events occurred at a short interval. Due to the shortness of timeline the pace of the story is rapid. Everyone in the story seemed to be in a rush. The setting of the novel was the Cannes film festivals. During the festival many high flyers of different background and myriad interests descend on the small town of Cannes in the southern France. The characteristics of many people like the film producers, distributors, film makers, models, business tycoon, industrialists and actors are vividly described in this book. "Everyone behaves as if they were terribly important, apart from the people who really are important; they're much politer, they don't need to prove anything to anyone." How true these words from the novels are. Paulo has done an extensive researched into how the world of cinema operate. Apart from being a master narrator, he is also a great researcher. This novel is a testament to this little facet of the novelist. Further, I am completely awe at the proficiency of the storytelling by Paulo. The description of the scene where Hamid Hussein die is a remarkable piece of writings.

Another truth is that we think that we, the human, are destroying this planet earth. Nothing could be far from the truth. "The planet is, was and always will be stronger than us. We can't destroy it; if we overstep the mark, the planet will simply erase us from its surface and carry on existing.Why don't they start talking about of letting the planet destroy us?"

I will suggest everyone who desire to spend time with a good book to read this novel. It is fine piece of art.

In this ever changing world of today, something remains the same. That constant thing is spending time, reading, enjoying and journeying with a great book. A great book can make you happy, make you realize the things that you ordinarily will miss and provoke your thought. Journey to The East written by Hermann Hesse is one such great book.

Hermann Hesse was born in 1877 and died in 1962. He was an essayist, a novelist, short story writer and poet. He had written some of the thought provoking books like Siddartha, Steppewolf, Narcissus etc. He was awarded the Nobel prize in Literature in 1946. The book "Journey to the East" was originally written in German under the title "Die Morgenlandfahrt" in 1932. The English version of the book came out in 1952.

The story of the book is about the Journey of the League to the East in which the narrator was also a participant. The League was a secret organization in which many famous personlities were members.The time of the journey was just after end of the world war.The narrator had to undergo tests to become member of the League. After getting membership of the League, the narrator took part in the journey.They went through many trials and tribulations as they moved forward in the journey. They traveled through Swabia, Moon Ocean, Butterfly Island and many more places. The narrator described the condition and pain of a desertor. There was a League member named Leo whom the narrator believed to be a servant. But in a certain place Leo disappeared. With the disppearance of the Leo the narrator journey was abandoned. But he didn't realize that he too was a desertor to the aims and objectives of the League. At the end, he realized that he was one of the desertor. Further, Leo was actually a leader of the League.

The greatness of the book lies in the way the author told the story. He has the ability to carry the readers wherever he likes. You will not realize this till you reach the end part. Not only that you will be made to undergo the confusion which the narrator had to endure and the pain for not able to complete the journey, and the futility of his attempt to write the history of the league. All this feeling you will be able to see vividly as you enjoy the story. Herman Hesse is in fact a master story teller.

Great packages often come in small size. This saying has been proven true by the book. The story is very short. It has only 93 pages to completely narrate the story. However, it is a treasure trove of wisdom. There are many quotes which are meaningful. However, the most interesting quote is as follow

"It is the law of service. He who wishes to live long must serve, but he who wishes to rule does not live long"

The sentences use in the story are simple and the words utilize are common. Yet the wisdom and the story are out of this world. So, read it and enjoy.

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